Day 9: Splurge Strategically Part 2 | 30-Day Weight Loss-athon
It’s Day 9 of the 30-Day Weight Loss-athon. Time for part two of our secret splurging weapon.
Read the steps first, then take 10 minutes to think about them and take action. Ready?
What You Need:
- Honesty.
Step 1
First, let’s recap. There are two keys to splurging strategically – knowing what to eat sometimes, which we talked about yesterday, and knowing what to eat pretty much never, which we’ll turn to now.
So here’s the all-important second part of the splurge strategically concept: If you don’t love it, eat it never.
It’s not enough to only eat your beloved treats on the occasions you really want them, as we discussed yesterday. You also have to say sayonara to those calorie-saturated foods you don’t love.
Step 2
This part of the deal is crucial. You now have to be super-honest about the high-calorie foods you don’t care that much about. Sure they might be pretty yummy, but unless they totally tickle your toes, don’t waste your splurge calories on them.
Here are some ways I put this into practice:
- I adore chocolate – but not if it’s too creamy. If I’m offered creamy chocolates, I happily say no thanks, and save myself for the harder stuff.
- I love fries – but only if they’re golden and well cooked. I always ask for my fries to be well done, but any time they’re not, I leave them on the plate.
- To be honest I could take or leave cake. So I always leave it.
- If my dessert is served with ice cream, I have just enough ice cream to go with the dessert, and leave the rest. Ditto fudges and sauces.
- I love burgers but often find the bun too big, so I happily leave half the bun.
- Pizza is a favorite. Garlic bread is expendable, so I always skip it.
- I really enjoy red wine, champagne and the occasional G&T. The rest, including most cocktails, I graciously decline.
- If I’m eating anything high-calorie and not loving it, I abandon it pronto. It’s not worth wasting my precious splurges on anything sub-par.
In some ways this is a psychological chicken-and-egg. You find it hard not to want everything if you’ve never let yourself enjoy the special things. So you have to kind of ease in to allowing yourself occasional treats.
But once you get used to the idea that you can have your most-loved treats, you’ll start to feel okay about saying a haughty no thanks to the other stuff, which you’ll soon come to regard as extremely blah.
Step 3
So now it’s time to take action. Decide on the high-calorie foods you used to eat, but that you don’t truly, madly, deeply love, and let them go. Toss them, give them away, burn them in a ritual.
Save yourself for the good stuff.
Check in!
And you’re done!
Be sure to leave your comment below to check in and stay accountable. If you’re reading this by email or in a reader then please click here to leave your comment.
See you tomorrow!
Vanilla icecream. Can’t stand the stuff! If served it with something like pie or cake I can tolerate it but on it’s own I find it horrible. Actually, most ice cream falls into the don’t really like basket. Even the good quality stuff still tastes a bit of chemicals. So, for me, I will really enjoy ice cream when I make it which happens maybe 4 or 5 times a year! Moving the whole family to sugar free means my wonderful daughter will stop making delicious puddings that are too hard to resist. Maybe that will be my birthday treat this year.
Today was a good day! I walked and jogged this morning and have made good choices all day. Easter Day was another story! I definitely over endulged in all my favorites! Some time back I decided that if I didn’t love it I was not going to waste my calories on it! I don’t love pie, glazed donuts, or chips so I don’t eat them and save for those things that I love like dark chocolate, homemade bread, and cinnamon rolls.
My fall down would be the occassional takeaway when I am feeling too tired to cook or have not been organised for tea. I never really enjoy it and I know the calories in one meal can equal a whole days calorie intake. This will be my goal – no more take aways. I can’t give up my chocolate and I usually don’t have much of it in the house because once I start I usually cant stop especially during that time of the month but for Easter my daughter bought me the stuff I really, really love so I went a bit overboard yesterday. So today I have not had any and I shall make sure I have more days like today than yesterday. Once it is all gone I shall be safe to go back to the pantry again.
My fall down would be the occassional takeaway when I am feeling too tired to cook or have not been organised for tea. I never really enjoy it and I know the calories in one meal can equal a whole days calorie intake. This will be my goal – no more take aways. I can’t give up my chocolate and I usually don’t have much of it in the house because once I start I usually cant stop especially during that time of the month but for Easter my daughter bought me the stuff I really, really love so I went a bit overboard yesterday. So today I have not had any and I shall make sure I have more days like today than yesterday. Once it is all gone I shall be safe to go back to the pantry again.
My fall down would be the occassional takeaway when I am feeling too tired to cook or have not been organised for tea. I never really enjoy it and I know the calories in one meal can equal a whole days calorie intake. This will be my goal – no more take aways. I can’t give up my chocolate and I usually don’t have much of it in the house because once I start I usually cant stop especially during that time of the month but for Easter my daughter bought me the stuff I really, really love so I went a bit overboard yesterday. So today I have not had any and I shall make sure I have more days like today than yesterday. Once it is all gone I shall be safe to go back to the pantry again.
This is something I really need to put into practice! I am notorious for snacking, especially off my sons plate! I have a weakness for sweets..actually I crave something sweet immediately after I nurse my daughter. But the salty stuff, I can take or leave, so I guess I’ll leave it!
Okay so to add on to my day 8 post of sweets being the death of me…LOL…I guess I could do without hard candy. Luckily for me I really like strawberries on a shortcake with low fat whip cream which really isn’t that bad for you…or at least that is what I tell myself : ).
Okay so to add on to my day 8 post of sweets being the death of me…LOL…I guess I could do without hard candy. Luckily for me I really like strawberries on a shortcake with low fat whip cream which really isn’t that bad for you…or at least that is what I tell myself : ).
I’ve had to avoid white flour, white sugar, etc for years and am seriously lactose intolerant. Most desserts, pastries, etc are just too sweet for my taste. I used to crave a perfect piece of chocolate layer cake about once a year, but no more. Lived in Naples Italy for two years so I like very thin crust pizza a without a lot of cheese anyway. Now that I’ve retired I find one way to avoid temptation (and outside pressure) is too avoid the situation: this morning between choir practice and the Easter Service was a brunch. I knew there would be nothing little I could eat and less I should eat, so I ran errands and grabbed a cup of tea to sooth my vocal chords. I would rather eat some chocolate (dark only) Easter candy at home.
I’ve had to avoid white flour, white sugar, etc for years and am seriously lactose intolerant. Most desserts, pastries, etc are just too sweet for my taste. I used to crave a perfect piece of chocolate layer cake about once a year, but no more. Lived in Naples Italy for two years so I like very thin crust pizza a without a lot of cheese anyway. Now that I’ve retired I find one way to avoid temptation (and outside pressure) is too avoid the situation: this morning between choir practice and the Easter Service was a brunch. I knew there would be nothing little I could eat and less I should eat, so I ran errands and grabbed a cup of tea to sooth my vocal chords. I would rather eat some chocolate (dark only) Easter candy at home.
I’ve had to avoid white flour, white sugar, etc for years and am seriously lactose intolerant. Most desserts, pastries, etc are just too sweet for my taste. I used to crave a perfect piece of chocolate layer cake about once a year, but no more. Lived in Naples Italy for two years so I like very thin crust pizza a without a lot of cheese anyway. Now that I’ve retired I find one way to avoid temptation (and outside pressure) is too avoid the situation: this morning between choir practice and the Easter Service was a brunch. I knew there would be nothing little I could eat and less I should eat, so I ran errands and grabbed a cup of tea to sooth my vocal chords. I would rather eat some chocolate (dark only) Easter candy at home.
My big decision this year is to NOT have morning tea treats except for 1 piece of fruit or 12 raw almonds ( no cake etc, which is store bought anyway) and no desserts except if it’s chocolate mousse ( so only once in a blue moon as it comes up on the meal rotation plan ). I regretted eating a slice ( albeit small) of the store bought apple pie at a friend’s place, I felt it was impolite to refuse but really it wasn’t worth the calories. I need to learn to say No Thank You nicely to well meaning friends who provide dessert when they invite me to dinner.
Now that Lent is over and I’m back to my ‘regular carnivorous’ self, I hate it. I sampled pork, lamb and chicken over the past 36 hours and I feel awful! I was uncomfortable thru-out my Zumba class and continue to feel so…As for the candy and Easter goodies, I’m going to share them with my classmates.
But on the plus side, I’ve continued to drink 2 glasses of water before every meal, exercise an hour ( except Easter ), log onto my e-calorie counter and just bought a new pack of post-its to label my motivation 🙂
Now that Lent is over and I’m back to my ‘regular carnivorous’ self, I hate it. I sampled pork, lamb and chicken over the past 36 hours and I feel awful! I was uncomfortable thru-out my Zumba class and continue to feel so…As for the candy and Easter goodies, I’m going to share them with my classmates.
But on the plus side, I’ve continued to drink 2 glasses of water before every meal, exercise an hour ( except Easter ), log onto my e-calorie counter and just bought a new pack of post-its to label my motivation 🙂
Now that Lent is over and I’m back to my ‘regular carnivorous’ self, I hate it. I sampled pork, lamb and chicken over the past 36 hours and I feel awful! I was uncomfortable thru-out my Zumba class and continue to feel so…As for the candy and Easter goodies, I’m going to share them with my classmates.
But on the plus side, I’ve continued to drink 2 glasses of water before every meal, exercise an hour ( except Easter ), log onto my e-calorie counter and just bought a new pack of post-its to label my motivation 🙂
“…unless they totally tickle your toes, don’t waste your splurge calories on them.” I love that! “Pizza is a favorite. Garlic bread is expendable.” This is how I think and live. I am a no sugar-coating kinda girl (no pun intended as it would cost splurge calories). It’s this or that. Period. I can DO that!
This is a good thing. I can give up cakes, ice cream & most cookies, if I can have brownies & chocolate chip cookies. It’s very easy for me to substitute the healthy oils & margarine for the ones I have been using. I definitely want creamer & honey in my coffee, but I have sodas very rarely. If I order burgers & fries, I can skip the buns & feel good about the fries.
This is a good thing. I can give up cakes, ice cream & most cookies, if I can have brownies & chocolate chip cookies. It’s very easy for me to substitute the healthy oils & margarine for the ones I have been using. I definitely want creamer & honey in my coffee, but I have sodas very rarely. If I order burgers & fries, I can skip the buns & feel good about the fries.
my family recently had take away from a well known fast food place, and it had been ages since we’d eaten it. I thought I ‘d really enjoy it, and it was awful! I felt disgustingly full and horrible afterwards. Never again! I shall save myself for things I really looove!(dark chocolate, quality ice cream, the odd glass of wine).
my family recently had take away from a well known fast food place, and it had been ages since we’d eaten it. I thought I ‘d really enjoy it, and it was awful! I felt disgustingly full and horrible afterwards. Never again! I shall save myself for things I really looove!(dark chocolate, quality ice cream, the odd glass of wine).